The Roots feat. Big K.R.I.T.-Make My

There are few things better musically than a rap song that takes its time to drop. My favorite song of all time, "Elevators" by Outkast, knows that good things come to those to wait, and "Make My" by The Roots and Big K.R.I.T. follows that legacy to a T.

I didn't do a "best-of" list for last year, but if I had, Undun by The Roots would have been very very near the top. Today's jamandahalf is a clear standout on that brilliant album, and it truly is an album in the purest sense of the word. Featuring a verse by longtime favorite Big K.R.I.T., The Roots know they have earned the right to ride out for as long as they want to, and that's what they do. Other than said verse by KRIT and a reflective banger by Black Thought, the thing that is most notable about the track is how expansive it sounds. At the beginning of the album, but at the tail end of the life of Redford Stephens, the central character to the story of Undun, both verses focus on taking one final look back on a life of both good and bad before Redford's subsequent suicide. Although the dark lyrics do weigh the song down, there is some glimmer of the triumphant hidden in there somewhere. Finishing an album-long story with a serious dose of class, The Roots give Stephens a proper farewell.

Click here to download


Download The Roots Make My (feat. Big K.R.I.T & Dice Raw)

69 Boyz & Quad City DJ's-What I Want For Christmas

Christmas 2011 is rapidly retreating into the rearview window of 2012, but it's never too early to start celebrating Christmas 2012, right? Kidding there, but Christmas more than anything is all about traditions. My family has done pretty much the same thing for every Christmas since I can remember no matter where we are, of course with a little tweak here or there. One thing that never changes is our Christmas music. My oldest sister starts blasting Christina Aguilera's My Kind of Christmas as early as possible and that is gradually joined by the Three Tenors and some traditional Finnish jams. This year a newcomer hopped on our Xmas Jam scene, on that isn't likely to leave for many many Christmases to come.

The 69 Boys and the Quad City DJ's were among the kings of 90's Southern hiphop and this song took me all the way back to 1st grade when our teacher used to make break out funky dance moves to leave class. The two supergroups take an enternal Christmas class-The Twelve Days of Christmas-and revolutionize it. Featuring dope lyrics such as "I ain't got no chocolate chips/To go along with no glass of milk/But I got some chips and dip baby!/Kool-aid to sip baby!" and "Christmas day the birth of Christ/no doubt/That's what it's all about/Lemme go head stop the beat for a sec.../Show some respect," both verses manage to combine the divine and the absurd over a beat using the best sleigh bells loop ever. So put this on, start getting pumped, because Santa Claus will eventually be coming to town again (And to think, this isn't even the greatest Christmas song ever. This is).

Click here to download

Rodrigo y Gabriela (feat. C.U.B.A and Anoushka Shankar)-Ixtapa

The best online music "recommend-er" would be the equivalent of a good buddy-aware of all of your music tastes along with your personality; able to think of how the nuances in who you are which would match up perfectly with X new band or Y new rapper. That's why no Pandora will be as good at giving great music recommendations than friends. Luckily one of Moo's buddies passed us an album by this unique Mexican duo named Rodrigo y Gabriela way back sophomore year. Since then I've seen them twice (both times sharing a magical high five with Gabriela) and have consumed their live albums and studio tapes. 

Their newest release Area 52 is perhaps not the long-awaited album of new material some of us were looking forward to; but maybe it's something even bolder. RodGab collaborated with a group of young Cuban musicians along with some other noted artists to essentially recreate some of their most loved jams. From the looks of it, the recording sessions must have just been sublime jam sessions, and the new album is simply incredible-fusing the intense flamenco/metal guitars of Rodrigo and Gabriela with the inclusion of a whole host of new sounds and flavors. This version of "Ixtapa" is a rollercoaster eight-minute long monster of a track that wears many different hats and wears them all incredibly well. Featuring a sitar solo by Ravi Shankar's daughter Anoushka, this song really shows that the duo aren't afraid to share their music with others. In the end, bringing the crew along just makes their music that much sweeter. 

Buy Area 52

Click here to download "Ixtapa"

Download Rodrigo Y Gabriela Ixtapa (Feat. C.U.B.A.)

AraabMuzik-Lost In A Maze & Underground Stream

AraabMuzik's music is best listened to at high volumes-not in your favorite club or on big speakers, but on your best pair of headphones. Why? Because there is something about his grimy debit album Electronic Dream that's kind of like a untold secret-its music that you don't necessarily want to share with others.

This past weekend on a trip up north I tried to sneak in some Araab on the roadtrip mix. I think a death metal/polka mashup would have gone over better in that Citroen. Adding the sonical equivalent of a black hoody on top of some of the best electronic jams of the past few years, Araab puts out an album that is surprising if nothing else-he used to be best known for producing beats for dipset and videos like this one. On Electronic Dream he flirts with shadows without coming off as too over the top, never falling into the ridiculous depths that dubstep often ventures into. Instead he takes a little bit of that edge and injects it into house, creating a sublime mix. I loved it on the first listen, let me know what you think.

Click here to download "Lost In A Maze"


Download Araabmuzik Lost In A Maze

Click here to download "Underground Stream"


Download Araabmuzik Underground Stream

Hello, Again

It's been a looonnngggg....a long time coming but I knowwwww...it's about damn time for a new post.

Sorry for the wait blogosphere. I've been abusing my duties here, and it's time to hop back on this horse. Why the drought? First of all, music stopped sounding good. I know that might sound kind of strange coming from a music lover, but nothing was exciting me anymore. With a couple gems I picked up from a few end-of-the-year lists, that's changed. I also have to thank going to work for getting me back in the writing mood. What? you might ask. Going to work gave me a fixed amount of time where it was just me, the music, and a bunch of strangers headed to who knows where. Starting back work after Xmas break has definitely gotten me in the mood to write about this music that makes my daily metro drudgery a little brighter. Also, and by far the biggest thing that's happened to JamandaHalf.com in the last month or so, my good buddy Stan and his start-up released a music app for iOS that's been getting nothing but love and features a music list (or "playground") from this humble blog. Download it here and check out some of the best tunes we've written about from the last two years. Lastly, the video below put a huge smile on my face. The Black Stars of Ghana are among the favorites to win this year's African Nations Cup. What do they do to relieve the stress? Have a jam session.

To get out of this drought I'm going to take some advice that a good buddy of mine passed on to me many moons ago: swing away. I'll be swinging away with posts for the next couple days/weeks and so look out for a string of jams coming your way. As always, if you ever feel the urge, your posts are more than welcome. Thanks for coming back.

Steve Aoki feat. Rivers Cuomo-Earthquakey People (The Sequel) (Original Mix)

The picture is of an awesome Aoki shirt featured on Breaking Bad

Steve Aoki's live shows are famous across the EDM universe for, well, being alive. Hot, sweaty people, mixing with Aoki's trademark champagne showers all fueled by his relentless music are quickly becoming the stuff of legends, stories told the day after with a big grin. "Earthquakey People" is the perfect example of the fuel that Aoki uses to get his parties going, as well as the musical Red Bull you can use to get your night going on this fine December day, wherever you may be. Like the best roller coasters, Aoki knows that most of the fun comes from anticipation, and like his best songs do, this continues to build and build before deciding it's finally time to let ya get funky. Though Aoki's music isn't everyday stuff, when it works, it's undeniable. Hope this one gets your Saturday night going on the right foot.

Click here to download


Steve Aoki feat. Rivers Cuomo Earthquakey People (The Sequel) (Original Mix)

Anthem-Freek'n You

Anthm (previously known as Anthem) seems to be at an inflection point of his young career. Along with a recent name change (apparently due to paperwork; luckily he'll be easier to find on Google now), Anthem's online presence continues to blossom and he recently twice hit the #1 track on the Hype Machine's Twitter chart beating out much more entrenched artists like Avicii. Musically he also has been experimenting with different styles, subjects, and has been getting away from the "mold" which he fit so well in the tracks up to now. Before if I was listening to a new Anthm track (still doesn't feel right without the e) I pretty much knew what to expect (in a good way). Anthm would spit a couple of hot, smart, verses over a great beat. With Anthm's current streak of new songs leading up to the debut of his new EP (Joy&Pain coming soon!), he has lived up to what he touched on in the last interview we had. His new music continues to show off different facets of who he is, but like he told me half a year ago, "Everything that I do has to be an accurate reflection of some dimension of who I am." Check out a couple of his newer tracks below that show off different aspects of the man (along with the brand new "Freek'n You"), his first major video and into to the EP, and follow him on Twitter here

 Anthm Set by jamand1/2


Anthem - Fortuna from AMG Esquires on Vimeo.

Black Keys-Run Right Back and Little Black Submarine

Back to it. After a blip in the music universe where I wasn't really feeling anything and was revisiting old Outkast (always pleasantly surprised to hear Dre on each song) and A Tribe Called Quest albums, it's back to some new stuff. And this one is brand new, as in leaked to the blogosphere yesterday new. The Black Keys set an extremely high water mark for themselves with 2010's Brothers, which found itself near the top of almost every end of the year Best Albums list. El Camino, to be released in a week, might just sneak on a list too if it has its way. Though a shake less blues and a smidgen more soul than Brothers, El Camino still had my ears beaming this morning on my ever threateningly cold commute to work. Two standouts are "Run Right Back" and  "Little Black Submarine." The former tells the tried and true story of running back to an old flame on top of fiery guitar licks and an edge missing from some of the other songs on the album. The latter starts off like a mellow campside jam session (including a tambourine from that buddy who always brings it, just in case) and wraps up with some White Stripes-esque guitar licks sure to fill up the bigger arenas that duo are packing these days. Check out these two choice cuts, buy the album here, and enjoy.

Click here to download "Run Right Back"


The Black Keys Run Right Back

Click here to download "Little Black Submarine"


The Black Keys Little Black Submarines

Muchachito Bombo Infierno-Siempre Que Quiera

You can't go to every show. That's the harsh reality (amazing situation) I'm finding out this year living in Madrid. Last year was a long hike through a musical Sahara; this year is finding myself in a oasis. If I try and drink all this delicious spring water, I'll probably drown. Over the past few weeks I've been lucky enough to see Aloe Blacc, Washed Out, and Rodrigo y Gabriela, but unfortunately had to skip this great band. Hailing from Barcelona, this at times 10 piece band kicks the theory that "most new Spanish music is pretty crap" right in the face. A blend of salsa, flamenco influences, rock and some other styles thrown in, Muchachito made a true jamandahalf with this track off of their debut Vamos Que Nos Vamos. Make sure you stick around for the superfunkybreakitdown right at the end. Check it out. 

Click here to download

Muchachito Bombo Infierno Siempre Que Quiera

Coeur de Pirate-Blonde (Album Review)

The past few months in the music world have been defined by mega releases (think Carter IV, Watch The Throne, Mylo Xyloto, Take Care, etc). Released after months of speculation and hype, these albums will dominate the charts leading up to Xmas, though their actual qualities vary from "Ehh" to "Not Bad." A very quiet release from a diminutive French-Canadian artist, in my opinion, tops them all. Big personal favorite Coeur de Pirate (real name Beatrice Martin) recently released her second full album entitled Blonde. Martin pulls off something that lots of bands are trying to do these days-capture a sound from a bygone decade. With influences ranging from 1960's French Pop to western ballads, Beatrice seems to distance herself from the mainly mellow piano backed jams of her first, self-titled, album. Though nothing has the instant catchiness of "Comme Des Enfants," Blonde is a more mature, more nuanced album. Playing it the past few days reminded me somehow of a great, focused, soundtrack, much like the ones behind Drive and Amelie. In this case, Blonde sounds like the soundtrack to a simpler era. Though not flashy, bereft of big name producers, and probably not the springboard to a nationwide arena tour, Coeur has stealthily released what I consider to be one of the best album of 2011, so far.

Buy Blonde here

Click here to download "Cap Diamant"


Coeur de pirate Cap Diamant

Click here to download "Adieu"


Coeur de pirate Adieu